Anti-social Behaviour: Respect Agenda

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 24 January (WA 153), whether the organisations regulating standards in broadcasting and video production are giving adequate attention to the incidence of bad language and gratuitous violence in programmes and films; and whether they will be requested to have regard to the Government's Respect Agenda in their future approach to these subjects.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are committed to independent regulation of media. In relation to broadcasting, Parliament has charged Ofcom with maintaining standards, notably to protect children and to protect the general public from harmful and offensive material.
	Decisions on broadcast programme standards are a matter for Ofcom to determine independently of government, according to the provisions of the Broadcasting and Communications Acts. Under Section 2.4 of Ofcom's broadcasting code which applies to all broadcasters, programmes must not include material which, taking into account the context, condones or glamorises violent, dangerous or seriously anti-social behaviour and is likely to encourage others to copy such behaviour. This has been in place since July 2005. Ofcom also periodically commissions research which informs the development and interpretation of its code.
	Statutory responsibility for classifying videos falls to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC's guidelines take into account public opinion on swearing and what is appropriate for the various age-related categories.

Civil Service: Religious Societies

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will invite the Secretary of the Cabinet to reconsider his position as ambassador for the Civil Service Islamic Society in view of the possible perception that, in this capacity, he might promote a particular religion within the service.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Sir Gus O'Donnell will continue to act as ambassador for the Civil Service Islamic Society, in addition to providing active support to the full range of other staff networks in the service. These networks play an important part in raising awareness of issues relevant to different groups of staff, supporting staff and providing input to action to challenge discrimination and value all areas of diversity.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Eden of Winton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they are having with the World Bank with a view to preserving the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and to promoting the interests of the indigenous forest people there.

Baroness Amos: The Government have been in regular contact with the World Bank about its engagement in the forestry sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We believe that the World Bank's involvement is important in order to reduce the risk of unchecked exploitation of the DRC's forests. In our discussions with the World Bank, we will continue to push for a balanced approach to the development of the DRC forestry sector, one which respects the rights of the DRC's poorest citizens—including indigenous people. A meeting between the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region and Genocide Prevention and World Bank staff involved with forestry in the DRC is planned for mid-February.

Extraordinary Rendition Flights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 30 January (WA 6), whether the rights and duties arising from the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation 1944 need to be read and given effect in a way compatible with the prohibition against torture in the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the European Convention on Human Rights and customary international law.

Lord Triesman: Yes.

Football: FA Council

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they are making to the Council of the Football Association in support of the inclusion of black and minority ethnic people on the council in order to make it more representative.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In our ongoing discussions with the football authorities about the governance of football we continue to urge the Football Association to implement the Burns review recommendations including the inclusion of black and ethnic minority people on the FA council.
	We are also working closely with the Commission for Racial Equality which is developing race equality action plans with the Football Association, the Premier League, the Football League, the Professional Footballers Association and the Football Foundation.

Football: FA Structural Review

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they are making to the Football Association (FA) in support of the recommendations set out in the structural review of the FA.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In our ongoing discussions with the football authorities about the governance of football we continue to urge the Football Association to implement the Burns review recommendations. The FA must use this review to ensure they are fit for purpose in the 21st century and make the necessary changes without delay.

Immigration: Child Protection

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the report by the Children's Commissioner for England, Mr Aynsley-Green, whether they will set up an independent investigation into the care and treatment of children held in immigration detention.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have received the report of the Children Commissioner's visit to Yarl's Wood. We are currently giving this report careful consideration and will respond to the commissioner's recommendations in due course. We do not consider it necessary to set up an independent investigation into the care and treatment of children of families in immigration detention. We are confident that the provision of care for detained families at Yarl's Wood is satisfactory.

Influenza Pandemic

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Cabinet Office declined to give evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's inquiry into pandemic influenza.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department of Health is the lead department on pandemic influenza policy and contingency planning and submitted evidence on behalf of the Government as a whole. The Cabinet Office's Civil Contingencies Secretariat, in support of the lead department and collective decision-making, co-ordinates as necessary contingency planning across government, and contributed to the cross-government submission. Cabinet Office ministers do not in the main have departmental responsibilities in this area.

Nepal

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made with negotiations with the Nepalese authorities and political parties to achieve multiparty democracy within a constitutional monarchy in that country.

Lord Triesman: The UK has long advocated a peaceful settlement to the conflict involving the political parties, the King, and the Maoists.
	Since the King dismissed the Nepalese multiparty government and assumed direct power on 1 February 2005, the UK, along with our international partners, has urged all concerned to work towards a negotiated political settlement and the restoration of democracy.
	In October 2005, as presidency of the EU, the UK led a director-level EU troika visit to Nepal in which we raised these points with the Government of Nepal and expressed a message of united EU support for multiparty democracy as the core of any sustainable solution to Nepal's problems.
	We were disappointed by the King's failure to call a truce in response to the Maoists' four month unilateral ceasefire last year. We also deeply regret the Maoists' return to violence since the end of their ceasefire and the King's recent crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, both of which further reduce the prospects for peace.

Nepal

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the Government of Nepal regarding the continuing detention of leading politicians, journalists and members of human rights organisations; and with what results.

Lord Triesman: The UK is deeply troubled by recent political developments in Nepal. Following the arrest of party leaders, political activists, members of civil society and human rights defenders on 19 and 20 January, we summoned the Nepalese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to explain his government's actions. My honourable friend, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State, Dr Howells, urged the Government of Nepal to release all of the political activists detained in the most recent round up of arrests. My honourable friend also issued a statement in which he said:
	"The UK is extremely concerned by the King's actions, and we can see no grounds for these anti-democratic measures."
	My honourable friend called on the King to urgently release those arrested, and to find ways to resume dialogue with the political parties. The full text can be found at www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391638&a=KArticle&aid=1136906017567%20&year=2006&month=2006-01-01 &date=2006-01-19.
	The UK later joined EU partners in issuing a statement expressing concern about the most recent round of arrests and of the infringements on human rights and democratic freedoms. In that statement we called on the King, the Government of Nepal and the security forces to immediately restore all political and civil liberties, release political prisoners and human rights defenders, and ensure that political and civil rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, can be exercised peacefully. The full text can be found at www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP–Statements/January/2701Nepal.html.
	We are encouraged to note that some of the party leaders who were detained have now been released. But there are approximately 250 political activists still in detention in Kathmandu and another 250 outside. This includes one of the major party leaders, who is still under house arrest.
	The UK has made a number of representations to the Government of Nepal about restrictions on the media and abuses of human rights over the past year. During the UK's presidency of the EU, we led a senior official-level EU troika visit to Nepal in which we raised these issues and publicly urged the government and security forces to respect human rights and to use security legislation with utmost caution. In response to the arrests in January, the EU demarched the Nepalese Foreign Minister on 27 January calling for the immediate release of recently detained political prisoners.

NHS: Doctors' Training

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are removing the funding for the flexible training of doctors; and, if so, what alternative provisions are being put in place.

Lord Warner: We are not removing funding for the flexible training of doctors.

Official Gifts: Foreign Secretary

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which gifts received overseas by the Foreign Secretary have been declared to HM Customs and Excise for being over the normal travellers' allowances on return to the United Kingdom.

Lord Triesman: None.

Prisoners: Mental Illness and Substance Misuse

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their estimate of the number of prisoners in England and Wales with a history of substance misuse and the number of these who also have some form of mental illness; and what staff and specialist facilities they have in prisons to deal with a combination of these conditions.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Based on epidemiological studies around 39,000 prisoners with a serious drug problem are present in custody at any one time. Among prisoners assessed as drug dependent, the proportion assessed as having two or more mental disorders was 79 per cent. for male remand and 77 per cent. for male sentenced prisoners, and 83 per cent. for female remand and 75 per cent. for female sentenced prisoners. A comprehensive treatment framework is available for drug-misusers in prison. In addition there are currently 102 prisons with mental health in-reach teams. During this year all prisons should have access to mental health in-reach staff.

Public Sector Jobs: West Wales

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of jobs are currently classed as public sector jobs in the region of West Wales and the Valleys.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl on behalf of the National Statistician, dated 13 February 2006.
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about public sector employment. I am replying in her absence. [HL3776]
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for the United Kingdom of public sector employment from a quarterly survey of public sector organisations. However, estimates at local area level are not available.
	Information at local area level is only available from the Annual Population Survey of individual people in households. However, in this source, the categorisation of employment in the public or private sector depends upon the responses from the individuals interviewed. As reported by ONS in October 2005 in the publication Public Sector Employment Trends, some individuals tend to misreport private sector employment as being in the public sector hence leading to overestimates of the share of public sector employment.
	With this reservation about the data quality, the percentage of people in employment, resident in the West Wales and the Valleys NUTS* II area, who are classed as public sector is 29 per cent. for the 12 months ending December 2004.
	This estimate, as with any from sample surveys, is subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	*NUTS (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) was established by the Statistical Office of European Union (Eurostat) to provide a uniform breakdown of territorial units for the production of regional statistics. NUTS is a five-level hierarchical classification.

South Kensington Museum Tunnel

Lord Williams of Elvel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have reached a decision on the recommendation from English Heritage to list the South Kensington Museum Tunnel; and, if so, when they will announce their decision.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We are still considering English Heritage's advice on this case, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will make her decision on whether this subway should be listed in due course.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the latest estimates of facilities and displaced people in Darfur.

Baroness Amos: The UN estimates that there are 1.8 million internally displaced people and 3.4 million dependent on humanitarian assistance in Darfur. The priority is to provide assistance and protection for them, and to find a political solution that will allow people to return home and rebuild their lives.
	Recent assessments indicate a major improvement in the nutrition situation in Darfur with malnutrition rates almost half what they were in the previous year. Likewise, the recent World Health Organisation (WHO) Darfur survey showed mortality rates have, in cases, reduced by two-thirds since August 2004. These improvements are due to the massive scale of the humanitarian response.
	The UK is the second largest bilateral humanitarian donor in Darfur (after the US), providing over £96 million since September 2003. These funds have meant that hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people have been provided with shelter, food, water and basic healthcare. However, the situation still remains extremely fragile. We are particularly concerned about the impact that the deteriorating security situation is having on humanitarian operations, especially in south and west Darfur. If aid were reduced because of conflict, insecurity or funding shortages, humanitarian indicators would deteriorate very quickly. We are taking every opportunity to call for an improvement in security and to press for a negotiated political agreement in Abuja.

Tax Credits

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For the latest year for which figures are available, which government agencies, quangos or departments are involved in administering the tax credit system in the United Kingdom.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: HM Revenue and Customs administers the tax credit system.

Tax Credits

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For the latest year for which figures are available, what assessment they have made of the total cost of administering the tax credit system in the United Kingdom.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: I refer the noble Lord to the information on the costs of collection given on page 104 of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' 2004-05 annual report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Taxation: Income Tax

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For the latest year for which figures are available, which government agencies, quangos or departments are involved in administering personal income tax in the United Kingdom.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have been solely responsible for administering personal income tax in the United Kingdom since April 2005. Previously this was the responsibility of the Inland Revenue.

Terrorism Bill

Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide a precise chronology of events concerning the receipt of a letter written by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights dated 28 November 2005 including (a) the date on which the letter was first received by a representative of the Government; (b) to which branches of Government that letter was subsequently transmitted, on which dates, and on which dates it was received; (c) when any Government Minister or private office first became aware of the existence of that letter; and (d) why the Government did not take immediate action to transmit the letter to Opposition Members of the House of Lords, as the letter requested.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The letter from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 28 November 2005 and was passed to the Home Office late on 2 December. It was passed to Ministers on 12 December though I personally did not become aware of its existence until 9 January 2006. The Government could not have complied with the UN High Commissioner's request to make her letter available to Members of the House of Lords before Second Reading of the Terrorism Bill since she did not write to the Government until a week after that had taken place. The Government published the UN High Commissioner's letter under cover of a Written Ministerial Statement in good time to enable amendments to the Terrorism Bill arising from it to be tabled.

Treasury: BlackBerries

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much HM Treasury has spent in each of the seven financial years ending on 31 March 2005 on the acquisition and use of BlackBerry devices or equipment with similar functionality.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Treasury does not record the costs of acquiring or using BlackBerries (being all-in-one mobile phones, email devices, web browsers and organisers) or similar devices separately from other telecommunications costs, so the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Treasury: Mobile Telephones

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much HM Treasury has spent in each of the seven financial years ending on 31 March 2005 on the acquisition and use of mobile telephones.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Treasury does not record the costs of acquiring or using mobile telephones separately from other telecommunications costs, so the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Treasury: Office Space

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will state the average square footage of office space currently occupied by (a) staff, and (b) Ministers of HM Treasury, together with the equivalent figures in May 1997.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Based on current occupancy, the average square footage per occupant of 1 Horse Guards Road is 193 square feet. This compares with approximately 364 square feet per person in the offices occupied by the Treasury in 1997.

Tropical Rainforests

Lord Eden of Winton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the priorities in their efforts to assist in the conservation of tropical rainforests; and to what extent they are able to ensure that indigenous forest people contribute to the formulation of their policies.

Baroness Amos: The UK Government support the conservation of tropical rainforests through the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The countries with tropical rainforests receiving UK support include Brazil, Indonesia, Cambodia, Cameroon and Ghana. The Department for International Development (DfID) spends approximately £19 million a year through its country programmes on forestry, with a view to promoting its contribution to sustainable economic growth and livelihoods.
	The priority is to address the governance and market failures that drive illegal and unsustainable logging of tropical rainforests. The Government do this by working through the G8, the EU and other programmes which help strengthen forest governance and tackle corruption. The UK is also helping to develop markets and incentive-based approaches to pay for and conserve the ecosystem services that rainforests provide.
	This work is carried out in partnership with a wide range of organisations to protect the livelihoods of forest-dependent poor people—including indigenous people. In Ghana and Cameroon, for example, DfID programmes are strengthening civil society and advocacy groups which support indigenous people to use the policy and regulatory frameworks that secure their rights to forests.
	This support to civil society groups helps strengthen demand for accountable and transparent forest governance and policies. In Brazil, DfID has supported the Indigenous People's Demonstration Project to enhance the capacity of indigenous people's organisations to protect their culture and land.
	In the Congo Basin region, DfID is supporting civil society strengthening and dialogue between governments, the private sector and NGOs. In Cambodia DfID has supported work on independent forest monitoring carried out by Global Witness. Protecting the rights of indigenous people was central to this work.
	DfID has also funded a study on the impacts of improved forest governance and law enforcement on the livelihoods of the poor, including indigenous people. The Forest People's Programme, which represents the interests of indigenous people, helped to carry out this research.

Tropical Rainforests

Lord Eden of Winton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are reviewing the role of the Tropical Forestry Action Plan and the United Nations Forum on Forests in controlling illegal logging operations; and what further action they propose to take on this matter.

Baroness Amos: The Tropical Forestry Action Plan ended in the 1990s. The Department for International Development and other development agencies now contribute to the National Forest Programme Facility, which is hosted by, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. The facility is supporting 46 developing countries in the development of their forest policies and plans.
	The FAO and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) have jointly developed guidelines to tackle illegal logging. The commodity agreement governing ITTO, the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), was renegotiated in January 2006. The new agreement makes provision for tackling illegal logging.
	The subject of illegal logging was addressed for the first time during the fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) in 2005, based on a paper submitted by the United Kingdom representative on practical actions to combat illegal logging. The future of the UNFF will be discussed at the sixth session in February 2006. The United Kingdom will promote actions to control illegal logging within whatever arrangements follow on from the UNFF.

Unemployment: West Wales

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the present unemployment rate for the region of West Wales and the Valleys.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl on behalf of the National Statistician, dated 13 February 2006.
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment. I am replying in her absence. [HL3777]
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	The unemployment rate for the West Wales and the Valleys NUTS* II area was 5.2 per cent. for the 12 months ending December 2004.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	*NUTS (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) was established by the Statistical Office of European Union (Eurostat) to provide a uniform breakdown of territorial units for the production of regional statistics. NUTS is a five-level hierarchical classification.